ORLANDO, Fla. — Even though Jason Bateman voices one of the two leading cartoon characters in the new Disney movie Zootopia, count him among those awestruck by how relevant and thoughtful the movie is while still delivering the laughs.

“It’s pretty amazing the way they’re able to layer, braid, thread those things through (the film’s story),” Bateman says in an extended one-on-one interview before a day of roundtable sessions.

We are sitting on the balcony of a fifth-floor suite at the Animal Kingdom Lodge, overlooking grasslands where giraffes, zebras, antelopes and red river hogs roam. In the movie, all the characters are beasts: specifically, 64 different kinds of mammals.

Bateman gives his sly, cynical voice to Nick Wilde, a red fox who is up to some conman tricks while a bunny named Judy Hopps tries to take him down after she joins the Zootopia police department.

The movie, which opens wide this Friday, was co-directed by Byron Howard (the two Tangled movies and Bolt) and Rich Moore (Wreck-It-Ralph) from an original idea Howard pitched to animation guru John Lasseter. Zootopia is hilarious, action-packed and also insightful as it deals with bullying, racism, xenophobia and fear-mongering, especially in politics and the media.

“When I ended up seeing it in its final form,” Bateman recounts, “it was a real surprise to me what the film was really about and the things that it covered. People are going to be so appreciative of how topical, how timely, these messages are.”

While Bateman wants to talk shop in Hollywood more than delve into American politics, the messages layered into Zootopia are critical in the Time of Trump, Bateman said. “It is absolutely stunning!” he added, describing a divided America during this U.S. election year.

So the timing of this release is a boon for people who needs a lesson about humanity, he said. “Maybe it needs to sneak through via a cartoon! Look, none of us are born intolerant. It’s all about the way you receive knowledge, if the message goes down easy in a cartoon, then it’s a great one.”

Bateman plans to use Zootopia both as entertainment and as a sounding board for his own two girls — aged four and nine. His wife is Amanda Anka (singer Paul Anka’s daughter).

“When it is appropriate to talk about these things and when these things enter my children’s lives at whatever moment, I’ve got these films that I can kind of play possum with. You have these cartoon characters to express ideas about serious issues.”

Meanwhile, he just gets to enjoy their reaction to his first direct encounter with a Walt Disney animation. Bateman has already scored points at home with daughters Francesca and Maple.

“Yeah, they’re pretty happy about it. It is definitely something that hits their radar and it’s nice to do something that I can actually show my kids, for sure. And it’s fun to be able to play a Disney character yet have it a bit in my wheelhouse. It’s great to play this guy.”

By that he means that Nick has an edge, is cynical, and remains dubious about the unbounded optimism displayed by the bunny character, Judy Hopps. She is voiced by the super-happy actress Ginnifer Goodwin. Bateman is already known for cynical and sarcasm in his characters, including in the TV series Arrested Development and in his directorial debut, the caustic comedy Bad Words, about a spelling bee gone crazy. Nick, however, is hiding a good side.

“There is nothing all that interesting in playing a nasty guy that’s just one-dimensional,” Bateman says. “Any of the characters that I have played that have been somewhat ‘ethically challenged’ I’ve always tried to find the opportunity in sequences, or just in moments, where you can reveal the chink in the armour or the crack in the veneer.”

Zootopia was originally dreamed up as Nick’s noirish story. But mid-way, after Howard was pitching his approach to the Disney-Pixar brain trust (or story team), the film underwent a seismic shift. Now the lead-in is through the bunny’s optimistic dream of becoming a Zootopia police officer.

“They made a good choice there in that adjustment,” Bateman says. The movie starts light before getting dark, he says. At the same time, Nick’s cynicism helps offset Judy’s idealism “just enough that you don’t get a sugar headache!”